


5+1 times Sojiro was Akira's dad and the one time they both knew it

by Gillbirdy



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bullying, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Character Development, Character Study, Child Neglect, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, Dadjiro, Fluff, Gen, Good Parent Sakura Sojiro, He gets better, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Death, Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Futaba Are Siblings, Persona 5 Protagonist Has Bad Parents, Persona 5 Protagonist Needs a Hug, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Sakura Sojiro Adopts Persona 5 Protagonist, Sick Akira, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sojiro's a grouch at first, Work In Progress, looks worse than it is, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26078200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gillbirdy/pseuds/Gillbirdy
Summary: When Sojiro had agreed to house a teenager with an assault charge, he’d expected to have to take on a strict disciplinarian role. He’d prepared himself for a delinquent, someone argumentative and violent.Akira Kurusu is definitely not what Sojiro expects. The kid’s a lanky twig, with oversized glasses and a mop of messy curls. A child who seems to shrink away whenever Sojiro so much asbreathsin his direction.But what Sojiro doesn't expect the most, is for the delinquent teenager to slowly but surely become his own.5+1 fluffy Dadjiro fic, with lots of hurt/comfort
Relationships: Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Sojiro
Comments: 28
Kudos: 346





	5+1 times Sojiro was Akira's dad and the one time they both knew it

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, this is an alright start to this series of one-shots! I tried my best, but _Hoo boy_ has it been a long time since I've written anything but an essay. 
> 
> This chapter is set at the beginning of the game, it starts right after Kamoshida's palace, and ends just after his confession. This will be the chapter Sojiro is at his prickliest in, so don't worry if your waiting for soft dad moments all will be received in chapters to come! 
> 
> Let me know if you guys see any grammar mistakes. Enjoy!

When Sojiro had agreed (and if he’s being honest, immediately regretted the decision) to house a teenager with an assault charge, he’d expected to have to take on a strict disciplinarian role. He’d prepared himself for a delinquent, someone argumentative and violent. 

Akira Kurusu is definitely not what Sojiro expects. The kid’s a lanky twig, with oversized glasses and a mop of messy curls. A child who seems to shrink away whenever Sojiro so much as _breaths_ in his direction. 

Unhelpfully, his brain begins to make comparisons between the rather timid kid and _his_ timid kid.

Appearances can be deceptive though, so Sojiro firmly pushes any similarities between the delinquent and his daughter deep into the back of his mind. He doesn’t think about it when the kid retreats into his sweater like a turtle when Sojiro lectures him about keeping his head down, and he _definitely_ doesn’t think about it when the kid acts like being fed breakfast is something worthy of excessive gratitude. 

Still… the thought eats at him. He might’ve even eased up on the kid if Akira hadn’t betrayed his tentative trust by being late on his first day at Shujin. 

As it is though, the two of them barely interact in the following weeks. The kid doesn’t give them a reason to, and Sojiro sure as hell isn’t going to initiate any sort of deep conversation. 

Regardless, when Akira comes back to Leblanc one day covered in purple and green bruises Sorjiro is beyond miffed. Less than a month in and the kid’s gone and gotten himself into a fight! The nerve! _Hoo boy_ does Sojiro let Akira know how displeased he is. He’s here on probation for god’s sake, any fighting is completely unacceptable!

He absolutely _doesn’t_ think about Futaba when the kid’s eyes begin to look watery. 

\--

Sojiro’s stews about Akira's misbehaviour all throughout the next day. It’s put him in a foul mood. Why shouldn’t it though, he’d begun to think taking care of the teenager would be uneventful, had even thought that maybe he’d been too tough on him. 

So much for _that_. 

However pissed Sojiro is with the kid though, he can’t help but feel more worried than annoyed when Akira is late back that evening. 

He’s sat in a booth brooding over a crossword when his charge finally makes an appearance. 

The kid looks absolutely terrible. He’s leaning heavily against a blond boy (a classmate probably) and shivering violently. Quickly, Sojiro stands up and makes his way over to the pair. 

_Geez_ , The kid looks even worse up close. His eyes are glassy and unfocused, and he doesn’t even glance up as Sojiro draws near. It’s then that the blond Akira is using as support decides to speak up.

“Er- Are you Akira’s… um... guardian?”

“What the hell happened to him?”

The Blond uses his Akira free arm to reach up and nervously scratch the back of his head. “I dunno...” he says awkwardly “he looked sick all day, but he started lookin’ _really_ bad at the end of the day. I thought someone should y’know… make sure he got back okay.” 

Sojiro nods “thanks for that, would you mind helping him up to his room?” 

The blond just stares at him blankly, confused about something.

“Upstairs” Sojiro says.

“Oh, _oh!_ Okay yeah… I can do um that!” 

The other teenager takes Akira upstairs shouldering his weight, and Sojiro hears him speaking to his charge. “ _ **Dude!**_ you didn’t say you _live_ here! I thought this was just where your guardian _worked_ ”. If Akira says anything in response to this Sojiro doesn’t hear it.

He hadn’t really noticed it before but Akira does look like kind of kid that would get sick easily. Probably something to do with his lanky frame, his large thick-lensed glasses, and how he’s a bit of a nerdy bookworm. 

Was Akira already sick when he left this morning? Was he ill last night when Sojro was laying into him? God, he hopes not. 

Muttering to himself he rummages through the cabinet where he’s _sure_ he last saw his first aid kit. He hopes a thermometer was something he was required to put in there by law, otherwise, he’s not positive there’ll be one in there. He really only ever uses the thing for small kitchen accidents after all. 

After a few more minutes of searching, he locates the kit and opens it up. There _is_ a thermometer there. _Good_. No painkillers though, and definitely no cold medicine. He can’t be blamed for that though, why would anyone keep cold medicine a restaurant first aid kit? (For a delinquent you keep in the attic he supposes, but that’s beside the point.) 

He’ll probably have to pick some up later, he muses.

Before he can think too much about that though Akira’s classmate comes back downstairs. The kid awkwardly excuses himself from the cafe before Sojiro can get a word in. It’s a little rude, but that’s teenagers he supposes.

Sighing to himself, Sojiro flips the sign to ‘closed’ and makes the trip upstairs. He figures he should at least check up on the kid and ask what his symptoms are. _Geez_ is this ever a pain! What had he gotten himself into by impulsively taking in this kid? (He can’t even help the one he’s already got). He had to close up early, and now he’s probably going to be late getting home to Futaba. 

This is _not_ how he wanted to spend tonight.

When he reaches the attic room, the kid has already put on his pyjamas and is sitting on the edge of the mattress muffling coughs into his elbow. That cat of his (Morgana if he remembers correctly) is perched on the windowsill watching the teenager carefully. 

Akira looks possibly even worse than he did before, and a sharp twinge of concern bubbles up inside him. He quickly stamps down on it though and allows his irritation at the situation to wash over him instead. 

“I didn’t sign up for this...”

As soon as the words are out of Sojiro’s mouth he regrets them. The guilt is especially sharp because deep down he knows he _did_ sign up for this. When he agreed to house a child, (whatever that child’s record may be) he had agreed to take care of him, however inconvenient. 

The kid looks up at him, startled by his approach and harsh words. The teenager mumbles an apology, and Sojiro ignores the burning guilt as he walks over to the kid and tells him to take his temperature with the thermometer. 

It’s a tense silence while they wait for the device to beep. 

Once it’s done Sojiro takes the thermometer from the kid. He lets out a low hum at the reading. 38.3°C (101°F) isn’t dangerously high, but it’s certainly not low either.

“Symptoms?” he asks gruffly. 

The kid blinks up at him confused. “you don't have to stick around... I can take care of myself.”

 _Sure he can_ Sojiro thinks sarcastically. That's why he looks like he’s about to keel over at any moment. “Don’t give me that kid” he says, “I’m not in the mood, so cut the crap and just tell me.” 

The kid looks reluctant but ultimately seems to decide to obey. “I’ve got a cough,” says Akira hacking into his sleeve as if to prove it. “My head hurts... And um- I guess I have a fever. Really though, I’ll be fine on my own...” 

Nodding, Sojiro orders the kid to stay in bed and then leaves without another word.*

It takes him around twenty minutes to travel to the store and get what he needs, but soon he’s back with the necessary medication. He makes the kid some tea, puts it on a tray with a plate of leftover curry, and brings it up to the kid.

When he goes upstairs with the supplies Akira’s asleep, curled up shivering under his duvet. Sojiro thinks about waking him but ultimately decides against it. Gently, he sets the tray down on the part of the windowsill not occupied by Morgana. Before he forgets, he also places down the box of Advil and the cough syrup he picked up. 

It’s no one's business but his own if he takes out an old blanket from a storage bin and drapes it over the kid.

\--

It’s a full two days before Akira begins to improve, and another before he can go back to school. 

The speed at which the illness had come on, as well as the severity, left Sojiro nervous and unsure of what to do. He had only ever had to deal with the common cold with Futaba, and she had always had fairly mild symptoms (and seemed to recover quickly too). With Akira however, there had been moments where Sojiro had even contemplated taking the kid to the hospital.

The kid’s fever did break eventually though, and if Sojiro let out a sigh of relief when it did no one had to know.

The morning that Akira went back to school, the kid had _thanked_ him. 

Sojiro definitely didn’t deserve that thank you, or the subsequent apology from the child for making his _care_ taker take _care_ of him. 

He doesn’t say that though.

It’s a few days later when there’s a news report on the TV about Shujin Academy. It’s the kid’s school, so instead of tuning it out like he normally would, he turns it up. Gym teacher, Olympic gold medalist Suguru Kamoshida had confessed to sexually, physically and emotionally abusing his students. 

Sojiro’s heart drops into his stomach. is Akira on the volleyball team? Had Kamoshida hurt him? Is _that_ why he had been covered in bruises that day? 

He wants to ask, he probably _should_ , but ultimately he doesn’t. Instead, Sojiro teaches Akira how to make a cup of coffee that night, and hopes it’s a sufficient apology.

**Author's Note:**

> *what a dumbass move, guaranteed way to make Akira think he’s been abandoned lol, but Sojiro doesn’t realize that at this point in the fic series
> 
> Hopefully, Y'all liked it!
> 
> I have most of the fic mapped out but I need one more idea to make the '5' is '5 + 1 things'. So if you guys have any good ideas let me know!


End file.
